Training for my first 1/2...

N4monsters

I was a cross country runner in high school. I had 4 kids and now want to start running races again. I have been following a novice 1/2 marathon guide and last Saturday was up to 10 miles. I have been running my miles "cautiously" because I'm afraid of not being able to finish. On my 9th miles last Saturday, I all of a sudden got pain on the outer side of my foot by my toes. Do I need new shoes or is it a form thing? I have never had that pain while running any other time.

Also, my 1/2 isn't until 9/22, but I would love to make it under 2 hours for my first one. Is that feasible?

lori33320

If you used to run cross country finishing this race should not be a problem for you especially if you are already up to 10 miles. The atmosphere of the race alone will take you to the finish line. You have a ton of training time before 9/22. Once you get some miles logged, you can start working on your speed.
As far as the pain in your foot. It could be the shoes. How long have you been running in them and are they suited for you? I have had just about every runners injury you can imagine and I can only tell you that pain comes with the territory. Has the pain persisted since last Saturday or was it a fluke? Whether it has or not, I suggest you buy a roll of KT Tape and wrap your foot. I have used it on just about every part of my legs and feet at some point or another and "I don't leave home without it"!!
Good luck with your half...it is a great race!

LilRedRooster

I ran cross country in high school, too, and I have to agree with the previous poster, if you can do 10 miles, you'll finish no problem. The most I put in before a half is 11 miles, and I've trained on as few as 9 before, and finished just fine. The atmosphere and adrenaline totally help with that.

And for the pain issue, it's hard to say exactly what could be the issue, since it's only one time you've had it. If it's a continuous thing (like running for a week or two and you still have the same pain, and it doesn't get any better), it could be a shoe issue where you've developed a pressure point that only comes up with longer time use, or you could have just strained something with upping your miles. I had pain in my foot a few weeks back, and was a bit worried because it lasted longer than a few runs and didn't get better, so I took a week off, went back in cautiously, and it hasn't been a problem since. For me, it was just getting in too many miles overall before my foot was ready to take it, so I scaled back on my overall mileage, and just focused on longer runs.

Good luck with your half! I love half marathons. It's definitely my favorite long-distance race.